Blessing for the Thirsting…

Our Torah reading for this week is about “making space” for God in our lives… We read God’s appeal: “Let them make for me a sanctuary (i.e., mikdash: מִקְדָּשׁ) that I may dwell in their midst” (Exod. 25:8).  Each of us has an inner void, a place where only God belongs.  Substituting the values of this world – money, power, fame, entertainment, pleasure (or even just a sense of personal security) – never satisfies our deepest hunger and thirst for life. Indeed the Lord laments: “My people have committed a double wrong: they have rejected me, the fountain of life-giving water (מְקוֹר מַיִם חַיִּים), and they have dug cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jer. 2:13). God is found by the thirsty soul; he is revealed wherever the heart permits him to speak. As Yeshua said: “If you had known the gift of God, and the one speaking to you, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water” (John 4:10). Ask Him today.

 

Amalek and Spiritual Warfare….

In our Torah for this week (Beshalach) we read how “Amalek” attacked the Israelites after they had miraculously crossed over the sea into a new life of freedom (Exod. 17:8). After Israel routed the attack, God told Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. So Moses built an altar and called the name of it: Adonai Nissi (יהוה נסי), ‘the LORD is my Banner,’ for a hand is upon the LORD’s banner (כי־יד על־נס יה) — the LORD will war against Amalek for all generations” (Exod. 17:14-16).

 

Hebrew Lesson
Exodus 17:16 Hebrew reading:


 
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The Word of Guidance…

In our Torah portion for this week (i.e., Beshalach) we learn that the Lord chose to take his redeemed people along the “longer road” to the promised land, just as we find ourselves still awaiting the completion of our redemption in the world to come. And like the Israelites, we must be on guard, since when things get difficult, our tendency is to go back to what is familiar, even if it is painful. Thank God we have a Good Shepherd who teaches us and guides us in the way to go: “And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher (מוֹרֶה) will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. Your ears will hear a word behind you, saying: ‘This is the way; walk in it,’ when you turn to the right or to the left” (Isa. 30:20-21).

 

Hebrew Lesson:

 

 

What a beautiful image of our LORD as our Teacher and Good Shepherd, who guides us in the paths of life and delivers us from “right-hand and left-hand errors.” And may God keep us upon the path of his righteousness, free from the seductions of the tempter who wants to distract our souls and lead us into fruitless byways and trouble. May we receive grace to behold His face, even in the midst of adversity or affliction, learning from Him the way to go…

“Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you” (Isa. 26:20). The LORD beckons: “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known” (Jer. 33:3). And I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place” (Rev 4:1).

 

Heaven’s Alphabet…

A verse from our Torah portion this week (i.e., Beshalach) contains all the letters of the Hebrew alphabet (i.e., aleph (א), bet (בּ), gimmel (ג), etc.). The special verse reads, “This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat. You shall each take an omer (עמֶר), according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his tent'” (Exod. 16:16). Since this refers to the manna the Israelites were to collect for their daily bread, and this verse contains all the letters of the alphabet, we may poetically infer that if we immerse ourselves in the Scriptures, “from Aleph (א) to Tav (ת),” God will provide us with the “daily bread” (לֶחֶם חֻקֵּנוּ) we need, just as He did when the bread from heaven (לֶחֶם מִן־הַשָּׁמָיִם) was miraculously given to feed the Israelites in the desert. Therefore Yeshua, who is the Aleph and Tav, taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread,” which surely refers to the spiritual food (i.e., encouragement, hope, life) that we receive from the Word of Life (Deut. 8:3; Matt. 4:4).

 

Hebrew Lesson
Matthew 6:11 Hebrew reading:

 

Yeshua taught us: “Don’t be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow has its own troubles. Live one day at a time” (Matt. 6:34). It makes no sense to worry about the future if the LORD is the Good Shepherd who tenderly watches over your way (Psalm 23:1). Every day we are given daily bread, but we must remember that manna could not be stored up without becoming rotten (Exod. 16:20). God’s provision is “sufficient unto the day….”

Isn’t it amazing how studying the Hebrew text reveals further insights into the Scriptures? Kotzo shel yod… And may you rest in the promise: “My God will supply every need of yours – “from A to Z” – according to his riches in glory in Yeshua the Messiah” (Phil. 4:19). He is lechem ha’chaim – the Living Bread from heaven (John 6:51)!

 

End of Days Chaos…

The Apostle Paul wrote that the time before the “End of Days” would be “perilous” and full of unrelenting human depravity and lawlessness (2 Tim. 3:1-5). Yeshua warned that apostasy would abound and that the hearts of many would run cold as ice (Matt. 24:12). In light of the raging spiritual war going on all around us, the following needs to be emphatically restated: “The important thing is to not lose your mind…”

The mind is the “gateway” to your heart, and it is therefore essential to guard your thinking by immersing yourself in the truth… “Not losing your mind” therefore means being grounded in what is real, and it therefore means understanding your identity and provision as a child of God. “God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love, and of a sound mind” – literally, a “delivered” mind, “healed” from chaos and despair (2 Tim. 1:7). The Greek word “sound mind” (σωφρονισμός) comes from a verb meaning “to be made safe,” in the sense of being under restraining influence of the Spirit of God… The closest Hebrew word might be musar, or “moral discipline.”

Part of the task of “guarding your mind” is being able to discern between good and evil. “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil” (Prov. 8:13) and as the prophet cried out, “Hate what is wrong, love what is right” (Amos 5:15). We must love the truth and abhor the lie (Psalm 119:163, Zech. 8:19; Prov. 12:22). Tolerating sin in a world ripe for judgment is a tacit form of “collaboration” with the enemy. Indeed, the only thing regarded as intolerable in the devil’s world is the denial that people have the “liberty” to sin. But the Lord is clear on this point: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, and who turn darkness into light and light into darkness, to those who turn bitter into sweet and sweet into bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!” (Isa. 5:20-21). It is the truth that sets people free, but this presupposes the ability to discern how we become enslaved to deception. Therefore we are instructed: “You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean” (Lev. 10:10).

Someone who loves you will to help you stay honest with yourself: The truth of God’s moral law is likened to a Father’s moral correction that leads his child to life (Prov. 6:23).

Hebrew Lesson
Proverbs 6:23 Hebrew reading:

 

 

Deliverance from Anxiety…

It is written in our Scriptures: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Phil. 4:6). Note that the verb translated “be anxious” here (i.e.,μεριμνάω) comes from a root word (μερίζω) that means to be fragmented or divided into parts and pieces. Being anxious is therefore the uneasy state of being distracted, unfocused and divided within yourself. When we worry we heed voices of fear and begin to feel ‘double-minded,’ (i.e., δίψυχος), unstable, and unable to think clearly; we get restless and find it difficult to deeply breathe. We start to feel out of control, fearful that something bad will happen despite all our efforts or wishes to the contrary; we sense doom; we lose heart; we go dark… The Scripture here admonishes us to pray when we are tempted us to be anxious by focusing on something for which we are grateful. Doing so will instill the “peace of God” (שלום יהוה) that rises above all worldly thinking to keep watch over your heart and your thoughts through Yeshua the Messiah (Phil. 4:7). We gain the “light of life,” that is, inner illumination from God, so that we can remain steadfast and unmovable in our faith, despite the temptation to look for relief from our struggles apart from God.

Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 26:3 Hebrew reading:

 

Baptism into Moses…

The Apostle Paul likened the crossing of the sea as a metaphor of baptism: “All were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea” (1 Cor. 10:1-2,11). In the New Testament, baptism symbolizes our identification with Yeshua’s death, burial, and resurrection (Col. 2:12; Rom. 6:3-5). The Israelites were facing death and were therefore at the “end of themselves.” They had no other appeal or hope than God’s gracious intervention on their behalf (i.e., salvation). Still, they needed to act and move forward. After they took the step of faith, they could see the Shekhinah Glory lighting up the way of deliverance, though this meant being “buried” within the midst of the sea. Their earlier fear of death was replaced with a song of God’s great deliverance (shirat hayam). The other side of the sea represents new life in the Messiah, the life that comes from above, by the power and agency of the Holy Spirit… The Israelites died to their old life, were symbolically buried in the waters, but arose to new freedom by the grace and power of God…

 

 

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Faith in the time of Coronavirus…

Shalom friends. Many people today are living in a state of bewilderment and anxiety over of the release of the Coronavirus (i.e., Covid-19), particularly because of the mixed messages and disinformation propagated by the mass media about its existential threat. Because of this engineered uncertainty, however, various governmental bureaucracies have arrogated dictatorial powers, and such overreach has resulted in forced lockdowns of various public places, the attrition of civil liberties, massive unemployment, the implosion of the private sector economy, among other things. In a matter of months a radical revolution has surreptitiously taken place, wherein the once great United States of America has devolved into a techno-fascist state that surveils not only the behavior of its “citizens,” but their biochemistry as well… In today’s climate of irrational fear, you can be labeled an “enemy of the state” simply for asking for justification regarding the latest “official edict” handed down by faceless overlords. The relentless propaganda campaign has had a “totalizing” effect on the culture: those who dare to question the efficacy of masks or the safety of untested mRNA vaccines, for example, face social ostracism (“banning”), job loss, and even threats of violence. The chill of political suppression and tyranny is in the air…

In light of this political morass – and the cultural rot that marks the thinking of the world today- we need logical clarity and courage to face reality. As I have said many times over the years, the important thing is not to “lose your mind” by forgetting what is real… In this audio podcast (recorded back in March of 2020) I discuss the struggle of faith and how we find peace by accepting the sovereignty and greatness of the LORD. I hope to remind you that Adonai Tzeva’ot, the LORD over all, has matters completely in hand, and to find faith that He will help you persevere in these days of testing.

God allows the wicked to rise in order to test his people… God’s strength however, is made perfect in weakness, and therein lies the paradox: “Lord, we do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You” (2 Chron. 20:12). The battle belongs to the Lord!

 

Podcast:

 

Shadows and Substance… (podcast)

Faith separates us from the visible and temporal realm to reveal the invisible and eternal realm — faith hears (shema) the “yes” of the LORD in the midst of worldly dissipation and despair. Today’s “Daily Dvar” broadcast discusses the walk of faith and how we need to remain focused on what is real in the midst of the ups and downs of our daily lives. I hope you find it helpful…

Podcast:

He will never leave you…

The Scriptures declare that though the “outward self” (ὁ ἔξω ἡμῶν ἄνθρωπος) inevitably wastes away (διαφθείρω), the “inner self” (ὁ ἔσω ἡμῶν) is being renewed (ἀνακαινόω, i.e., “raised up in newness of life”) day by day (2 Cor. 4:16), which implies that we have nothing to fear regarding our perpetuity and acceptance as God’s beloved children. Therefore we do not “lose heart” (lit., act badly, from ἐκ, “out” + κακός, “badly”). Despite the shadows of this world, we take hold of the words of our Savior, who said: “I give you eternal life, and you will never be destroyed (ἀπόλλυμι), and no one will snatch you out of my hand” (John 10:28). And in another place he likewise said, “Everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die (οὐ μὴ ἀποθάνη)” (John 11:26).

 

Hebrew Lesson:

 

 

God has redeemed you, friend, and has called you by name; he knows you intimately, and you belong to Him. God does not call groups, but rather individuals. The Spirit calls out, “follow me…” The Lord never leaves nor forsakes those who trust in Him, even if they should face waters that seem to overwhelm or fires that seem to devour and consume.